Saturday, August 11, 2012

Even with the drought, the peach trees are trying to produce peaches. This peach tree lives in my garden where the old compost pile was. I purchased a box of peaches and processed the peaches and threw out the seeds many years ago...and the following year, I had many little peach trees come up. Everyone told me that I was wasting my time that the trees would not ever produce peaches....but here is one of the several trees that I have put out from my compost pile.

These peaches get a very deep red and seem to hang there many days before they are really ready to be picked. I try to let them get tree ripen.
I do have to beat the critters to them...so as soon as I know they will ripen soon, I go ahead and pick them.
Last year there were not as many peaches and I was watching them closely to pick. One morning I came out and there were no peaches on the tree...but many seeds under the tree. Whatever ate the peaches had cleaned every morsel from those seeds.

Notice the notched board holding up this overloaded limb? Danny watered the little tree with pond water a couple of times...I am so glad.

Last night just before sunset I picked a 1/2 bushel of peaches from this tree. I am so glad. I think I had guest wanting peaches last night. I was working in the kitchen preparing cantaloupe sorbet again about 11 PM and there was a nice breeze blowing through the open windows in the kitchen. All at once a coyote right outside the window in the area of the little peach tree started yapping like he was hunting something and then he let out a howl close to my kitchen window...I jumped like I was shot...ran for my pistol and out the door I went. The big white dogs with the sheep began throwing fits and more coyotes very close to the house were on the chase of something in our yard, yapping and howling...I could actually hear them running, they were that close to me. I shot off a couple of rounds into the tree tops to the west...and everything got silent. I caught a glimpse of a little squirrel running from the area of the peach tree to one of the big walnut trees in the backyard. Memo to self...buy more bullets for my pistol. Coyotes are so thick and I have noticed more of them out during the day. The drought has caused everyone to hay every blade of grass so they don't have the hunting ground that they once had and probably food supply is low for the animals too. In fact, I thought they were after Mr Gray or Miss Kitty, our barn cats.

I made a peach pie a couple of weeks ago and I tried this pie crust recipe that I found on the food network site. Danny raved about how good the crust was. He has told me a number of times that he thinks that was the best peach pie that he has ever eaten. And I agree. With school starting in a couple of weeks, it seems like I need a covered dish 3 or 4 times the first week. I am going to use my peaches and make peach pies and cook them and then freeze them until I need them...of course Danny will want to have one right out of the oven.

Perfectly Flaky Pie Crust

Recipe courtesy Aida Mollenkamp

Prep Time:

5 min

Inactive Prep Time:

30 min

Cook Time:

--

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

about 1 pound dough (enough for 1 (9 to 10-inch pie dish))

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon table salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, small dice

1/4 cup shortening

7 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, and sugar until well combined. Using clean hands, add butter and toss until just coated. Rub butter between thumb and forefingers to incorporate into flour mixture until butter is in lima bean-sized pieces and comes together in quarter-sized clumps when squeezed in palm, about 2 minutes. Add shortening, toss until just coated in flour, then rub into flour mixture until mixture forms pea-size pieces (some big chunks should remain) and comes together in fist-sized clumps when squeezed, about 1 minute. Drizzle in half ice water and rake through mixture with fingers until just moistened. Drizzle in remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time and comb through mixture with fingers to moisten. It will go from being a shaggy mess to coming together. Dough is moist enough when it is moistened through but is not wet when pressed. (Do not overwork the dough or it will become tough.)

While rotating the bowl with 1 hand, push dough between other palm and side of bowl to gather into a ball. Turn dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, press it into a flat disk, then close in wrap. Place in coldest part of refrigerator (usually back bottom shelf) at least 30 minutes before rolling out and forming into a crust.

I have some butter but not enough for the number of pies that I will be making today so we will do a town trip to pick up some supplies before I can start baking. Peach pie pictures will be posted later.

Have a good day and may God bless you in every way today. Please continue to pray for rain for the drought stricken areas...we got 0.3 of rain one day this week that we were very thankful but we need so much more to fill the ponds and saturate the earth so the grass in the pastures can grow and feed the animals.

Grandsons melt your heart!

Blessed Woolraiser

Life is ever changing and Danny and I had a major change in our lives in 2013. We sold the farm and I retired. Danny and I both were having health issues so we decided it was time to slow down and take life easy. We moved to a home with a 2 acre yard and numerous trees and flower beds.that sits on the peak of Fine Lake in Barry Co. in Michigan.....beautiful but much work. We have also been finishing the basement for a family room and my studio.
Danny and I go out regularly to see things of interest in our community and we travel to nearby towns and parks. Michigan is a beautiful place. We love the changing of the seasons here on the Peak of Fine Lake.

Psalm for the Day

Come back soon

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? - 2 Samuel 22:31-33